Neymar's replacement is at Barcelona

Robin Bairner

23 Nov 2023 06:33 GMT
3 min read

Barcelona winger Raphinha is one of the players targeted by Al-Hilal to replace injured star Neymar, dealing a blow to the Premier League clubs that have been following the Brazil international star.

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Liverpool and Tottenham are among the clubs chasing the former Leeds winger, but they now face competition from the side from the Saudi Pro League for the 26-year-old, who previously starred in England’s top flight. The Reds had even targeted him to become the heir to Mohamed Salah at Anfield.

Spurs, meanwhile, have dropped their interest in Brentford's Ivan Toney to instead pursue a deal for Raphinha.

Sport reports that Al-Hilal are seriously examining the prospect of signing the Brazil international winger, having studied a move for him in the summer.

The Saudi side, meanwhile, are seeking a top-level replacement for Neymar from abroad, with space already cleared in their squad to welcome another foreign player. Manchester United’s Jadon Sancho and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen have been considered as alternatives but the latter is not about to leave Europe.

Barcelona, meanwhile, could now be interested in selling the player they paid Leeds €57 million for in the summer of 2022.

© ProShots - Raphinha celebrates scoring for Barcelona

Barca's Raphinha transfer stance has changed

Although sporting director Deco had put a block on a summer move, he did so with the belief that Raphinha was ready to take a leap in his game to become indispensable to the club. The South American, though, has instead started only three of 17 games in all competitions and has scored only twice in these appearances.

Furthermore, Raphinha continues to command a high transfer price that could help ease Barcelona’s Financial Fair Play commitments. As such, the prospect of selling him is an attractive one for the Camp Nou side, who could land around €40m for the winger.

But Al-Hilal face a similar problem to Liverpool and Tottenham in terms of attracting Raphinha.

The Brazilian is settled at Barcelona and wants to prove himself at the club, suggesting that it will take an extraordinary offer to lure him away.